Man charged with beating and stabbing 6-year-old Ann Arbor girl

An Ypsilanti man was arraigned Wednesday on three felony charges in relation to the stabbing and beating of a 6-year-old girl in Ann Arbor Sunday.

Edward HarveyCourtesy of WCSO

Edward Harvey, 24, sobbed before 15th District Court Magistrate Colleen Currie as he was formally charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm and first-degree home invasion.

The girl was taken to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in critical condition, but has since stabilized, police said.

Harvey broke into a residence on Carrot Way in Ann Arbor three times between 3:45 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. Sunday, Ann Arbor police Detective Michael Dortch told Currie as he swore to the warrant prior to the arraignment Wednesday.

Harvey is acquainted with the family who lives there, police said. The Ann Arbor News is not identifying the victim because she is a juvenile.

Detectives said they have video of Harvey breaking into the residence through a window. He is seen coming in and out three times, police said.

The victim, her grandmother and two other minor children were sleeping in the residence at the time.

The grandmother called police moments after Harvey was last seen leaving the residence around 5:15 a.m. Responders found the 6-year-old with a stab wound just below her clavicle, Dortch testified.

He said if it hadn't been for the quick-thinking of the responders, the girl very well could have died.

Harvey, dressed in an orange Washtenaw County Jail jumpsuit, cried throughout much of the proceedings. He said that he didn't want a court-appointed attorney and that his grandfather, a retired police officer, probably will get a lawyer for him.

"I would just like to be able to go back to work," he said. Harvey works at Fischer Honda in Ypsilanti, where he was arrested.

Harvey also asked that his cuffs be removed while he's in a jail cell.

He is being held at the jail.

John Counts covers crime and breaking news for The Ann Arbor News. He can be reached at johncounts@mlive.com or you can follow him on Twitter. Find all Washtenaw County crime stories here.